RIBA's Stirling prize longlist 2012 – in pictures

RIBA's Stirling prize longlist 2012 – in pictures

RIBA say their 50-strong longlist for the UK building of the year – which features everything from a golden wedding chapel in Blackpool to the 80,000 seater Olympic stadium in London – is dominated by 'austerity chic'. But which of them will win out in the Stirling stakes? Steve Rose offers his verdict

Thursday 21 June 2012 07.01 EDT
First published on Thursday 21 June 2012 07.01 EDT

The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, David Chipperfield Architects

It wouldn't be a RIBA awards list without a cultural building by David Chipperfield. This year he has two buildings on the 50-strong list, and for a change, they're both in Britain: the Turner Contemporary in Margate and this £35m sculpture gallery in West Yorkshire – arguably the stronger of the two

Brockholes Visitor Centre, Lancashire, Adam Khan Architects

Adam Khan's floating cluster of buildings for a nature reserve near Preston is an exciting example of how a building can feel state-of-the-art and meet the highest environmental standards, and yet fit comfortably into a rural landscape

Lyric theatre, Belfast, O’Donnell + Tuomey

It's been a good year for Belfast, with three buildings on the list (and others, such as the new Metropolitan Arts Centre and the Titanic visitor centre, which are too late for this year but certain to figure next). The theatre fits into its surroundings, offers surprising spaces inside and a dazzling auditorium

University of the Arts London, London N1, Stanton Williams (Campus, Central Saint Martins)

It's also been a good year for Stanton Williams. Three of their projects are among the 59 winners, this the most spectacular: a conversion of old industrial buildings next to King's Cross station into an inspiring new arts campus with a dramatic covered street at its heart. Their other two projects are the refined Sainsbury Laboratory in Cambridge and the artful but practical Hackney Marshes Centre, London E9

Having won the Stirling prize for Richard Rogers in 2009, the Maggie's Centre initiative continues to bring quality healthcare buildings, and renowned foreign architects, to Britain. This spiral, organic cancer care centre is the last work by the late Kurokawa. OMA's Maggie's Centre in Gartnavel, Glasgow – their first UK building – is also on the list

New Court, London EC4, OMA with Allies and Morrison

Rem Koolhaas and co's second UK building is also an award-winner. This is a spare, steel and glass HQ for the Rothschild Bank, neatly inserted into the dense fabric of the city, with spectacular private views from the top, and generous public ones through to Wren's St Stephen Walbrook church at the bottom

BFI Master Film Store, Warwickshire, Edward Cullinan Architects

Most of us will never see this building but it's a delightful, bespoke design to store and preserve the nation's precious stock of extremely combustible nitrate and acetate films. Temperatures for the vaults must be maintained at -5 degrees celsius and humidity at 35%. In the event of fire, the concrete external walls swing open to mitigate damage

Like Maggie's Centres, Alain de Botton's Living Architecture holiday homes have brought quality designers to the English landscape. This one, by the leading Norwegian architects, blends in with the coastal landscape but offers an angular, top-heavy design that's bracingly modern

The Triangle, Swindon, Glenn Howells Architects

It's good to see some affordable housing get recognition, though it took the name of Kevin McCloud to get this scheme noticed. Co-developed by McCloud's sustainable property company, it's a low-energy reinterpretation of Swindon's Victorian terracesPhotograph: Paul Raftery/Glenn Howells + HAB

London Olympic Stadium, London E20, Populous

It might not fly the flag for British architecture like Hopkins' Velodrome or Zaha Hadid's aquatic centre, but few structures sum up the 'austerity games' like the main stadium. If less is more, Populous's bare-bones stadium cost less and uses less steel to get the result. And at least they finished it on time

The Holburne Museum, Bath, Eric Parry Architects

A controversial intervention into Bath's historic fabric, Parry's extension boldly went against the historic grain, with dark glass, ceramic fins and an unashamedly modern form. The neo-classicist brigade wasn't happy, but visitors were

Exhibition Road, London SW7, Dixon Jones

It's not just buildings that contribute to the built environment. This is a conversion of Kensington's main museum street according to 'shared space' principles, which means giving pedestrians and cyclists equal footing with vehicles. Expect to see more of it

Las Arenas, Barcelona, Spain, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

What better sign of Spain's cultural shift than the conversion of a bullring into a shopping mall? Into the fragile shell of this Moorish-themed circular building, a hi-tech mall and rooftop observation deck have been carefully inserted, set off by colourful detailing

Festival House, Blackpool, dRMM Architects

Rising above Blackpool's kiss-me-quick seaside image, but fitting in with its playful landscape, this gold-clad wedding chapel brings timeless romance to a city more renowned for holiday quickies. A tall window in the main chapel perfectly frames the Blackpool Tower